Burnt roadside body was Indian national

Police have confirmed that a partially burnt body that was found by a road in southern New South Wales last week was that of an Indian national.

The man's body was found at the side of Wilga Road at Willbriggie, near Griffith, by a member of the public on Tuesday December 29.

Police say the body is yet to be formally identified, but is believed to be that of a 25-year-old man.

Officers are in touch with the man's family in India and the Indian Consulate to help with the identification.

Police are not saying whether they are investigating claims that the man owed money to harvest labourers.

Detectives from the State Crime Command will today help local officers in a search of the area where the body was found as part of the investigation into his death.

They say they want to hear from anyone who travelled along the road between Monday night and Tuesday morning last week.

Labour dispute

A union organiser at Griffith says he has heard of serious assaults in the Willbriggie area.

Harry Goring from the Australian Workers Union says he is aware of unpaid labourers taking matters into their own hands.

"Over the last 12 months there's been two assaults around that area, people endeavouring to retrieve money for labour," Mr Goring said.

"I'm not saying for a moment that it's this with this man, but there have been a number of fracas in relation to Indian people pursuing certain individuals."

Mr Goring says action is needed to ensure legal processes are followed by contractors.

"From Centrelink to Immigration, Fair Work, Workcover, we all need to do a sustained effort to fix this problem," he said.

Mr Goring says he and local MP Adrian Piccoli planned a forum of farmers and contractors four years ago to address the unscrupulous use of harvest labour, but it did not happen.

He is urging farmers to ensure contractors are legitimate, saying he gets weekly complaints about wages being stolen.

Mr Goring says there has been a huge increase in contract labour, particularly Indian students, and many are being ripped off.

"It's a weekly occurrence. We don't hear about the one and two's that are happening. It only becomes sensational when a large group gets ripped off," he said.

"You and I will never know the amount of people who are lining up for payment, and as they're doling out the dollars, where they thought they were going to get $200, they then have to barter and argue for a percentage of that amount.

"They arrive on our doorstep without any plans, without accommodation and they are scooped up by so-called contractors."